Brotherhood of Shadows
by Anthem for the Drowning
Summary: After the death of his father, with no where else to go and no one else to trust, Ryan Grant finds himself putting all his trust in a mysterious stranger who promises him a new life in a city he could only dream of.
1. Prologue

Prologue

1954

When I left the House for school on October 22nd, It felt like a normal day. I walked to the local high school, Greenway, with my friends, bags slung over our shoulders, and making idle conversation. I remember glancing back at my house as I walked away. The lights were all out except for the one in my dad's room. He was my only parent; my mom had left when I was about ten to chase her drug addiction. My dad had a hard time trying to fill the void she'd left behind. He was under a lot of stress trying to make ends meet for us and I worried about how he was coping with everything. I found out in the worst way possible.

When the end bell rang at 2:30 that day, I sprinted across the school yard, hopped the fence and ran towards home. The whole weekend was ahead of me and I couldn't wait to just go to sleep. The whole week had been one sleep deprived nightmare. As my house came into view, my pace slowed until I stopped on the sidewalk directly across from it. An ambulance and a new white car I'd never seen before sat in the driveway. The lights on top of the ambulance were flashing and the siren was blaring away loudly. I watched as a stretcher with a black bag strapped to the top was brought out of the house by two EMT's. As I watched a policeman approached me waving his arms,

"Hey kid, get out of here, there's nothing to see, now leave before I have to arrest you for loitering" He yelled. As he began shoving me along the sidewalk I said

"Wait, wait. I live here." The policeman froze, one hand on my arm. He drew his free hand to a breast pocket and withdrew a picture I recognized from our living room, my most recent school picture. He compared my face to the one in the picture for a moment and then dropped his hand from my arm.

"I'm sorry kid, I didn't… I don't know what…" He seemed to stammer and that's when the truth hit me. I sank slowly to the ground, putting my head between my knees. In what seemed like the first time in ages, I felt my eyes sting and then felt tears fall from my eyes and onto the concrete.

"H-how" I stammered out from the ground.

"Drug overdose" the cop replied, "Looks like heroin but we can't be sure until the final report comes in. Did you know your father did drugs son?"

"N-no" I stammered again, trying to control my sobs. "I never… I never even…"

"It's ok, it's…" but he was cut off by another man.

"It's ok general, I'll take it from here" he said.

"Alright" the police officer agreed, walking back to the ambulance. I looked up now to examine the newcomer. His shoes were shiny; I could see my reflection in them. His pants were very straight and the crease in the front was very pronounced. Like the rest of his suit, the pants were a brilliant white. From his jacket he pulled a handkerchief which he handed to me.

"Thanks" I murmured, wiping my eyes and then my nose as the tears stopped. When I pulled the handkerchief away I saw the initials "F. F." embroidered on the front. I Folded the handkerchief back into a square, getting to my feet as I did so.

"Sorry for your loss kiddo, my condolences. I lost my pops too when I was a kid, just about your age." The man said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The name's Frank Fontaine kid and I want to know what you're going to do now."

"Well, I… I'll probably go stay with my mom I guess." I said, trying to get away now, to a friend's house maybe or anywhere.

"That's a lie" he said quickly, "Your mom left you, you have no other relatives, face it kid, you ain't got nowhere to go."

"How do you know?" I demanded.

"Oh, I just get around to hearing things, through the grapevine if you catch my drift."

"Look, what do you want from me" I said.

"Ya got it backwards sport, it's what you want from me here. I'm here to give you an opportunity to change your life, total overhaul. A new name, a clean slate, and a city you could only dream of!"

"I…I…" But he was right, I didn't have anywhere to go. No family, no friend that would take me in indefinitely. As I came to my conclusion, I merely nodded at me. A toothy grin broke over his face.

"That's great kid, pack your bags and we'll go. Hope you like water!" This last statement perplexed me as I entered the house, which already no longer felt like it was mine. I felt like I was intruding upon some sort of grave. I quickly packed a bag with clothes, grabbed my guitar and slid all of the money I had into my wallet which I then added to the bag. When I got outside, the man, Mr. Fontaine, was waiting for me in his shiny white car which was idling noisily.

"Where are we going" I said as I climbed into the back and closed the door.

"Private airstrip, hope you don't mind flying sport." I took one more glance at the house and the ambulance as we pulled away and I kept staring until the house was out of sight down the road.


	2. Arrival

**Brotherhood of Shadows**

**2. Arrival**

From the car, as Fontaine had assured, we reached a private hanger where we then boarded a helicopter. After I'd gotten into his car, we hadn't spoken at all and that didn't change much after we boarded the helicopter. I didn't want to sound like a whiny kid, but the curiosity was gnawing at me too much.

"Mr. Fontaine…"

"Frank, old sport, call me Frank."

"Right… Frank, where are we heading now exactly?"

"Boat" he said shortly. This was not the answer I was looking for but I figured it was good enough for now. I occupied myself with looking out of the window at the blue sea flying by beneath us. It was a thrilling experience, being so close to the water. It was nothing like being in an airplane; everything seemed much more real in the helicopter, so much closer. As the sun moved lower in the sky, the water below us began to turn a beautiful shade of red. And then the sun was gone, completely vanished beneath the ocean.

"Ah, there she is now kiddo" Fontaine said, grinning toothily. At his command the pilot of the helicopter lowered it onto the huge deck of the boat. Now that I was on it, it didn't seem to be so much of a boat as a floating landing pad, specifically for occasions like this. Once we'd gotten off, the helicopter took off to return to land and Fontaine signaled the captain of the boat to begin moving. At first I saw nothing in the direction we were headed. And then a small speck appeared on the horizon and as we got closer, the speck grew bigger and more distinct. Finally I realized that the speck was a huge towering lighthouse, with stone steps curving around from each side and a Bronze eagle extending from the top of it. My jaw dropped.

"Not bad, eh?" Fontaine asked.

"It's magnificent" I replied, moving closer to the side of the boat, which was now pulling up beside the steps.

"This is where we get off. Got all of your bags?" I slipped my possessions over my shoulder, securing the strap as I did so, and followed Fontaine off of the barge and onto the lighthouse steps. When we reached the front, Fontaine pulled open the door revealing a beautiful room, with a bust hanging from the ceiling and plaques on the walls. Also inside were two men, lightly armed, obviously there to make sure only the right people got in. Soft music floated through the air and I barely heard Fontaine's short conversation with the guards. From there we were lead down the spiral stairs and into what the guards called a "bathysphere" where we took our seats across from each other. My mind was blank and I could barely comprehend what I was seeing.

As we began our descent, I marveled at the ornate statues on the sides of the tube we were moving through. Then a screen slid down over the viewport and an advertisement for something called a "plasmid" popped up. I was confused and I glanced over at Fontaine for some kind of explanation.

"Just ignore this whole thing sport. It's just Ryan blabbering about his free-market system and how it's not tearing this city apart" he said, rolling his eyes._ Ryan, _I thought, _Maybe I should use a different name around here then…_

"Ya" I said off-handedly.

"Rapture can be your city too", the video finished and the screen retreated, revealing a breathtaking view of the underwater metropolis. All around me I could see beautifully constructed buildings, each full of people moving about their own business. Neon signs advertising everything from night clubs to stores burst from the city itself and highlighted the beauty of the water around us. Glass covered walkways between the buildings hung in front of us like the branches of a tree and, most shocking of all; I watched as a whale swam in between them, ignoring the underwater city around it.

"Kiddo", Fontaine said, "Welcome to Rapture!" I couldn't answer because my jaw was hanging and my brain was fully occupied by trying to take it all in. Fontaine moved towards a list of destinations the bathysphere was programmed for, which reminded me a lot of level buttons in elevators, and selected one, as if he'd performed the maneuver hundreds of times before. My face was all but pressed to the glass as I tried to see as much of it as I could. As I looked into one of the buildings, I saw something that had escaped me at first glance. A huge man in a diving suit was walking along next to a little girl. It was curious, but at the moment, everything seemed so impossible that I barely comprehended it at the time.

The bathysphere was heading directly towards a small port in a large building with yet another neon sign over it. The sign read, "Artemis Suites", in big orange letters. Fontaine laid his hand on my shoulder as we pulled into the tunnel and then rose to the artificial "surface" within the building.

"This is where you will be staying, Artemis Suites, finest this side of Rapture. Ryan has no jurisdiction here, just me." He lead me up a few flights of stairs to a big wooden door with the number 17 on it in brass.

"This room's yours." He handed me a key and then patted me on the shoulder once more.

"Tomorrow morning, come down to the bathysphere, push the button that says Fontaine Fisheries, that's my business and you'll be working there. I'll meet you when you arrive to explain further. Sleep well, Oh and…" From his waistband he pulled a revolver and from his pocket, a cartridge full of rounds, "This is for you, keep it loaded. This city may seem like a utopia but, you know, can't be too careful."

"Thank you so much", I said, still unable to believe it all, "I, I owe you"

"Na kid, just remember who you're working for now" he replied, and then, as he was walking back down the stairs he turned and asked, "Hey sport, what was your name again? It's Ry… I mean Austin."

"Well Austin, the pleasure was all mine".

Once he's disappeared down the steps I put the key in the lock and turned it. The apartment was nice, well-furnished yet simple, Inviting yet not overly decadent. I immediately felt comfortable there. I set my bag down with my guitar and then sprawled out on the bed. I turned my head and stared at the revolver and it's box of rounds laying next to me. It looked new, never been used. I flipped onto my stomach and propped myself up on my arms. Very carefully, I pushed six bullets into the chambers of the revolver, laid it on the bedside table and then rolled back over. Without changing or even taking my shoes off, I was quickly asleep, miles away from where I'd last laid my head and, as far as I was concerned, in a whole new universe.


	3. Day One

**Brotherhood of Shadows**

**3. Day One**

Feeling the smooth butt of the revolver as my hand passed over my waste, I waited in line to take the Bathysphere over to Fontaine Fisheries, where maybe I could grab some breakfast. I was starving for some reason that I could not explain and the thought of a meal occupied my mind as the sphere left from the Apollo Suites and began moving through the city. As the journey, or as I now realized, "commute", continued, my mind shifted to wondering what kind of work Fontaine had in mind for me. Something to do with fish maybe? Judging by his secret attitude and the addition of a new gun to my waistline, I began to have my doubts. But what could he want with me? Orphan kid, surface dweller, never worked (or fished for that matter), outside odd jobs for neighbors. But here I was. Floating in a bronze clad bathysphere in an underwater city worthy of the title, "Atlantis". All I could do for my musings at the moment was assume that things would unfold in due time.

As the Bathysphere slid into port and then rose to the "surface", the door swung open and I exited, nodding to the operator as I passed by him. Waiting for me was Fontaine, wearing a crisp new suit, his eyes sparkling.

"Good to see you old sport" he said jovially, extending his hand, which I grabbed for a moment, "I hope you slept soundly, because you've got a very important job to do for me today". He released my hand from the very solid greeting and turned, motioning for me to follow him. We passed by vending machines and other workers, seemingly on break, before reaching the storage room, which was full of iced-down boxes with pictures of fish on the sides of them. A dark haired guy, probably around 23, was standing beside a pile of these boxes, leaning against them and smoking. His eyes seemed eternally disinterested, as if the world had nothing to offer him.

"Austin, this is Lance, he'll be your work partner for today. How about you too get acquainted now" Fontaine said. I extended my hand firmly, staring straight into those blank eyes. Lance lazily shoved his hand into mine before dropping back to his side, in a very bored way.

"Alright, now today you'll be doing a little delivery work for me, can you handle that? I'll start with something small, this package is for a Mr. JC Remington, and it contains, uh, some very high quality Sardines if you catch my drift…" Fontaine said. "He'll be waiting to meet you at the lobby of Ryan Amusements. Now look, we don't want any cops or daddies or whoever the hell may be around looking into this package. No one should be giving you trouble as long as you keep your heads low, got that sport? Now Lance has been doing this for a while and he'll be helping you out for this first time. Get going, I'll have more deliveries ready for you upon your return. Good luck, and please stay alive, I went through a lot of crap to get you here now don't blow it, ok?" With that, Fontaine waved Lance and I back out the door.

Once I had slammed behind us, I tucked the package into my coat pocket and began heading towards the bathysphere.

"Stop, where the hell are you going?" I heard Lance say.

"To Ryan Amusements to…"

"We don't use bathyspheres" he said, cutting me off. "They check all packages that come in and out and trying to hide it is just too risky, especially once we get larger items. We'll be walking there, shouldn't take too long." He grinned at me as if to see if I would back down at a little cardio.

"Alright, point me in the right direction then _jefe_" I said, grinning right back in his bored, lazy, doped out face.

"This way" he said and we exited towards a glass tunnel off on the right. Minutes passed without either of speaking a word, just walking along in silence.

"You spliced up yet?" Lance said, trying to break some of the silence.

"What?" I asked

"You don't know? Seriously? Splicing up gives you gene modifications, so you can do cool shit like this" he replied, holding out his hand in front of him and firing lightning into a nearby trash can which exploded, which angered the people sitting on the bench besides it. I expected them to get up and come yell at us for carelessness but they seemed to recognize Lance, and then pretend as if the situation had never happened.

"Why didn't they complain?"

"Scared of me. Scared of Fontaine. He'd got this whole part of town in his back pocket. Get's them the Eve (the goop you splice up with) and pay's their salaries so they tend to lie down in front of him. The follow whoever's got the Adam and Eve."

So I was working for some kind of gang leader or party boss or crime lord or something. I began to suspect that I was a pawn in something much bigger than delivering some "Sardines". Where was I headed? I was only being shown the path a few inches at a time as Fontaine played with the lantern over my head. But right now I needed to just focus on the job at hand and then maybe he would give me some answers later, if I proved myself a good employee, or whatever I was now. Up ahead I could see the entrance to Ryan's amusements, and waiting outside was a man in a brown trench coat who was looking around shiftily from side to side. Definitely not to inconspicuous, I could see people staring as they led their children into the park. Lance grabbed the package from my pocket and then moved in to confront Remington.

"Ah, Hello, uh, you Fontaine's boys?" He said, his hand hovering over his waist.

"Yeah, now where's our money" said Lance.

At this point, many things happened in quick succession. I noticed a small ear piece hanging from Remington's sweaty bald head. I also identified the small bulge his hand was covering as a revolver, badly concealed but obviously within usable distance. I rapidly pieced the facts together. Remington was an informant, trying to expose Fontaine with these, uh, illegal sardines. Mission compromised. And on my first damn day… It wasn't my fault but it still wasn't going to be pretty. I had to run. I turned to find myself face to face with a metal scuba suit clad… thing. These must be the big daddies that Fontaine talked about.

"Lance!" I shouted. It was too late, he was still talking to the informant, trying to get him to pay up. I heard a click, as a hammer was cocked into place and turned to see bits of my new "buddy" splatter into the far wall as their former owner fell to the ground twitching. The gun was already in my hand and I quickly shot down Remington, firing off two shots in quick succession and then vaulting over the entrance line rail, past families scattering at the sound of the shots and back the direction I'd come, but the big daddy was faster than I expected, landing in front of me and smashing me backwards into the wall, I could feel something like cracked ribs in my stomach and blood flooded into my mouth. I felt my eyes begin to close as consciousness hovered on the brink. But I managed to pull myself back and move out of the way of the next blow, clutching my ribs with one hand, the gun in the other. As the Daddy tried to wrench it's drill arm out of the brick wall, I quickly reloaded the six shooter, swinging the cylinder shut and getting back to my feet.

The Daddy pulled his arm free and turned to face me, the holes in its helmet glowing with a bloody red light. I raised the pistol with one hand moving back towards another wall, forming a plan in my head. I fired off two shots right at the thing's head but they were easily deflected off of the thick metal. Obviously irritated, the daddy charged at me, drill raised and spinning. At the last moment before contact, I rolled out of the way and it charged into the wall, embedding itself in the brick. While confused and enraged I sprinted over to a propane lantern that was being used to light the area and unscrewed the bottle from the bulb, throwing the top aside. Then I pulled a knife from Lance's dead body. Using it I scraped a spark into the tank and then slid the explosive towards the monster struggling to free itself.

As the tank exploded I dove for cover, feeling the blast propelling me across the room and into a ticket desk. The daddy was now writhing; a flame engulfing it's midriff, but still very much alive. It turned its helmet to me, preparing to charge again, this time to deal a final blow. I raised the pistol, pointing it at one of the holes in the helmet which encased the head of the blackened beast. As it bowed low to sprint I exhaled slowly and steadied my hand. As it began to move, slower and more wildly because of the pain and fire, I fired a volley of bullets, one of which sunk straight through the hole and into the creature's skull. Its legs flew from beneath it as it flew forward, landing at my feet. The Big Daddy was now a smoldering wreck at my feet. The area was now deserted; everyone had fled from the battle. My shirt was ripped and I was bleeding from the first blow. I began to really feel the pain sinking in now, filling my mind and bringing me too my knees, a black veil falling over my eyes and mind. The last image I saw before passing out was that of a small girl wearing a tattered, dirty dress, moving towards the wrecked Daddy, past the bodies of Lance and Remington.

"Daddy, what's wrong Daddy?"


End file.
